Luna and The Grey Lady
by LynnHeart
Summary: "Was that movement Luna caught in her periphery? Squinting her grey eyes, she raised her hand to block out the sun. There it was again. A flicker. A tendril of movement." Luna's first meeting with Helena Ravenclaw. Oneshot.


**I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two and it gave me so many ideas for stories. One of them is the story of how Luna first meets The Grey Lady. My favourite ghost and my favourite living character combined in one story! **

**This takes place near the end of Luna's second year. I'm not sure if it is mentioned when Luna meets The Grey Lady in the books, but I've just decided to go with this. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.**

**Luna and the Grey Lady**

Luna Lovegood sat on the edge of her four-poster bed in the Ravenclaw dormitories. Her stockinged feet were swinging over the side as she held a book in her lap. Having been unsuccessful in her search for her runners, she was a bit discouraged about leaving the tower. They were purple with white laces patterned with stars. The soles carried the pattern of the snitch, a detail she really loved about them. When she walked through the sand or dirt, Luna liked to look behind her to see a trail of delicate snitches following behind her.

Usually she didn't let the disappearance of her footwear get her down, but this last pair, she was quite fond of. She'd had them since first year, and liked to think of them as lucky. Lucky, because they had not been misplaced. But she guessed that lucky shoes were of no use to her if she couldn't find them.

Being that it was a Saturday, and Luna had no classes to attend. The day stretched out in front of her. What to do? Turning, she looked over her shoulder to survey the room. She was alone in the tower. No doubt everyone else had much more exciting things to do than to sit alone in the dormitories.

Sighing, she stripped off her socks and hopped off the bed. If she had no shoes, she might as well save her socks from getting dirty. She grabbed her satchel, stuffed her book inside and swung it over her shoulder. She wasn't about to spend a beautiful day cooped up just because she had nothing on her feet. It hadn't stopped her before.

The stone floor was cool against her feet as she padded her way down the steps and through the corridors. During Luna's first year, she constantly got lost. And the moving staircases did nothing to help her out. She began to use the paintings to make her way around the castle. Recognizing certain paintings became like remembering landmarks for her. Not only that, but some of the more friendly portraits were willing to give her directions when she needed it. Some of them even became like friends to her. She knew it was quite silly, but she had no real friends here at Hogwarts. Only acquaintances who seemed to avoid her whenever she tried to strike up a conversation.

"Good afternoon", Luna said brightly to a portrait of a young woman in a ball gown. The lady clasped her skirts in one hand and swept into a curtsy.

"A fine afternoon it is, Miss Lovegood", the woman responded. Luna smiled at her and continued on her way.

Passing the great hall, she continued outside to the owlery. It was one of the many places she liked to spend time. Though she usually didn't stay long for she was often interrupted by someone trying to spend a letter. Today though, she did have mail to send. A letter to her father, Xenophilius. Her father was her only correspondence while at school. She loved getting his letters which often contained his ideas for new articles in The Quibbler, the wizarding magazine he edited. Luna loved helping her father with the magazine, the only literature that contained all things Luna-like. Or Loony, as the other students called her.

The sun beamed down through the high, open windows of the tower, creating patterns of light across the floor. Kicking up dust and dirt as she walked, Luna relished the feeling of layers of grime smudging the soles of her feet. Picking out a school owl, as Luna did not have one of her own, she held out the letter to the bird. Screeching, the owl took it in his beak. "That goes to Xenophilius Lovegood", Luna whispered to it, stroking its grey feateres. "Have a safe flight." The owl chirped and took off, leaving behind a few feathers which floated down slowly through the sunlight.

As she crossed the room to exit, the sight of a snowy owl caught her eye. The creature was so beautiful, Luna couldn't help herself as she slowly made her way to it. Holding out her hand, she let the bird sample her smell before she stroked its chest. The downy feathers were so soft against Luna's cool hands. The bird was intelligent, she could tell by the look in its eyes. Briefly she wondered who this wonderful owl belonged to.

Having lingered enough in the owlery, Luna gave the snowy owl one last pat before she took to the stairs. She had no place to be, so she let her feet guide her around the castle grounds. Hagrid's hut could be seen in the distance, as well as the edge of the forbidden forest. She thought of visiting the Thestrals, but she had no meat to feed them.

Luna slowed as she reached a courtyard on the south side of the castle. No students lingered here. It was empty and quiet. She supposed this was a good enough spot to sit and read. She curled her feet beneath her on the stone ledge and pulled out her book.

Luna had been reading for while before she felt like she needed a break. She stood and rolled her neck to relieve it of the kinks. She had no idea how long she had been in the courtyard. No one had interrupted her reading though. In fact, she had heard nothing but the breeze blowing through the arch ways. Setting down her book, she walked the length of her stone sanctuary, her eyes following the trail of ivy growing across the walls and arches. Stepping up to the ledge, she looked out at the expanse of green grass. The land dipped and rolled just past where she stood, making her view appear elevated. Luna decided this could be her new place to come and think.

She turned her back on the lovely view, intending to collect her belongings and head back to Ravenclaw tower before dinner. Her blouse clung to her back, sticky with sweat. The hot sun beat down on the crown of her head, warming it. She took a step forward and stopped. Was that movement she caught in her periphery? Frozen in place, she waited to see it again. Cool air lifted her blonde hair from her shoulders and fanned the back of her neck. It should have been comforting in the heat, but instead she shivered, goose flesh appearing on her arms.

Curious at her reaction, she quietly made her way to the place she had seen… _something_. Reaching the center of the stone courtyard, her eyes caught sight of a corridor she hadn't noticed. Shaded by layers of Ivy above, the shadows were thicker here. Squinting her grey eyes, she raised her hand to block out the sun. There it was again. A flicker. A tendril of movement. It teased her, this thing moving in the shadows. For it must be _a thing_. Something she could touch. Otherwise she feared she had stayed out in the sun too long. Perhaps _The Tales of Beetle the Bard_ had sparked her imagination, and there was really nothing there at all.

Well, that was no fun. And even if it _was_ just her imagination, she had found another corridor to be explored. She simply could not leave it alone. She found this to be sound enough logic to take her a step closer to the shadows. Another gust of wind ripped her hair behind her and made her radish earrings flutter. Excitedly now, her footsteps became quicker. Tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear, she pulled out her wand.

The shadows embraced her with open arms, the coolness of corridor refreshing to her warm skin. She stood completely shrouded by ivy now. Tiny specs of sunlight filtered through the canopy of green overhead, dancing across her clothes and hair. The corridor stretched before her, long and daunting. Wiping sweat from her forehead, she slowly and silently moved through the shade. Still waiting for any sign that something was with her, she trailed her fingers across the rough stone beside her.

"Hello?" Luna called into the darkness, her voice echoing back to her. Something at the end of the corridor. It looked… almost colourless. She couldn't explain what she saw, for it was most strange. A displacement of air particles. So insubstantial, Luna wasn't sure how her eyes had seen it. Simply acting on instinct, she began to speak to whatever may lie down there. "My name is Luna. Lovegood. I was just—", she called to whatever may be there. "Just reading", she finished quietly. She thought for a moment before continuing, "I don't have any friends. That's why I was reading here, alone. I'm sorry if I upset you. Maybe, this is your place? I don't mind finding somewhere else to read." He voice was steadily becoming quieter as she approached the place she had last seen movement. "There is always the library…" She was feet from it now. Her footsteps stopped and she waited.

Slowly, ever so slowly something she couldn't identify peeked out from around the corner. It was floating, and grey and… she could see the stone and Ivy behind it. She could see _through_ it. As more became visible, Luna realized it was fabric, see-through fabric. Flowing and fluttering, although there was no breeze. Finally, when all was revealed, Luna was looking up at the cause for her curiosity. A figure, a woman. Not grey, not really. She was more… colourless, as Luna had originally thought. But she also gave off light, glowing ever so slightly. "Why, you're Helena Ravenclaw", Luna recognized her even though this was her first meeting with the ghost.

"You are Luna?" the ghost asked. Her voice was gentle and quiet. Luna observed the sadness in her translucent eyes.

"Yes, I'm Luna", she responded. "Do spend time here often?" Her question was so regular; it startled Helena for a moment.

"Sometimes. I prefer the darkness", the ghost responded.

"_The Grey Lady_. That's what people call you"

"But that is not my name. Helena, I was once known as. What my mother named me. I had a mother once, a life", she said bitterly and swooped around Luna, turning her back to her.

Unfazed, Luna followed. "I had a mother once too", she said, sensing the hurt that Helena Ravenclaw was carrying with her. "She died. I was nine."

"I'm sorry", Helena said, turning. Her voice changed, it was tender. She glided back towards Luna, her dress swaying with her as she moved. "I suppose you know what happened to me." The ghost looked down, almost as if she was ashamed.

"I've heard stories", Luna admitted, "but sometimes stories aren't accurate, especially when they've been handed down."

"You're smart, Luna. Might you be a Ravenclaw, yourself?"

"Yes, I do belong to Ravenclaw house." Helena smiled at her. She liked this human girl. She was a very shy ghost and preferred to be away from the company of others. But it had been so long she had talked to anyone. And so long since she had had a friend.

"When I was living," Helena began, "I did something… bad. It was shameful! I dare not speak of it. I just… wanted to be great. Like my mother. But it went horridly wrong." She had turned her face away, but now turned to stare into Luna's eyes. "It ended with my death."

"The Bloody Baron…" Luna said in a whisper.

"A crime of passion, you could call it. Terribly tragic. He stabbed me", her voice became wistful, as her hand moved to her chest. "Right here."

"I'm sorry", came Luna's voice. She was absorbed in Helena's story, even if the details were vague. She was able to fill in the rest of the story. She knew that Helena had stolen her mother's Diadem and run off to Albania. Rowena, Helena's mother, deathly sick, sent the Bloody Baron to find her in hopes that she would see her daughter before her passing. Helena, refusing to return, was chased through a forest by the Baron. He had stabbed her, then himself. The guilt had been too much for him. Luna could feel that Helena still mourned for her mother and for her own life, taken from her too soon. The pain in her eyes was very real. Though Helena ceased to live, her anguish was there as strongly as it had been the day she died.

"I don't suppose you'll be leaving Hogwarts in the near future?" Luna knew the answer to the question, but she felt she needed to lift Helena's spirits (no pun intended). If Helena thought the question silly, she did not show it.

"No, Luna. I shall forever haunt the corridors of Hogwarts."

"Then I reckon you'll be needing a friend to keep you company." Helena gave a small laugh. Forgetting her internal torment for a moment, she drifted closer to Luna, their faces level. Looking into the young girl's eyes, she stifled a gasp. They were deep, silvery grey. The same colour that defined Helena completely in her forsaken like as a ghost. This girl, she was special.

With Helena's face so close to her own, Luna was unable to look away from her eyes. It was a strange sensation, staring into the very soul of a ghost. "I think I'd like a friend, Luna Lovegood."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! This was very fun to write. I Love Luna's character. I feel like she's under****estimated for her intelligence because she is so strange. But i love getting inside her head, it's always a pleasure to think up lines for her. If you like this, please check out my other story, A Stray Wind. It's got a Luna/Neville pairing. Please review and let me know what you think!**


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